Introduction
A successful sports sponsorship doesn't have to stay inside the stadium. The strongest partnerships find ways to connect with fans before, during, and long after the event itself.
The NHL's new partnership with Kaufland is a great example of that approach. The grocery retailer has been named presenting sponsor of the 2026 NHL Global Series Germany and the league's Official Grocery Retail Partner in Germany, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia.
The multiyear agreement demonstrates how brands can use sports partnerships to create connections across multiple markets and everyday consumer experiences.
About the Partnership
As part of the agreement, Kaufland will receive branding opportunities throughout the NHL Global Series Germany, including in-arena assets, digitally enhanced dasherboards, and virtual in-ice advertising during European NHL broadcasts.
But the partnership extends well beyond game-day visibility.
Kaufland will activate the NHL relationship through its retail locations and digital platforms, including promotional campaigns, fan opportunities to win official NHL prizes, and appearances featuring the Stanley Cup. The NHL brand will also appear in Kaufland's print and digital promotional circulars, reaching shoppers across all three countries.
The partnership also includes a shared commitment to growing youth participation in hockey through grassroots events and community engagement.
The 2026 Global Series will feature two regular-season games between the Ottawa Senators and Chicago Blackhawks in Düsseldorf on December 18 and 20.
The Value of a Sponsorship Is in Its Activation
Kaufland's partnership highlights an important part of sports marketing: visibility is only one piece of the puzzle.
A sponsorship becomes more meaningful when it creates opportunities for people to interact with a brand. Retail promotions, digital campaigns, live events, and community programs give fans different ways to experience the partnership.
For businesses, this creates an opportunity to think beyond impressions and consider how sponsorship assets can support broader goals.
Corporate hospitality is one example. Premium tickets and event access can help companies strengthen client relationships, introduce prospects to their business, recognize employees, and create memorable experiences.
The key is making sure those opportunities are organized and used intentionally.
How Concierge Live Helps Organizations Maximize Their Entertainment Assets
When corporate tickets and hospitality are part of a sponsorship investment, managing access can become complicated.
Organizations need to coordinate inventory, handle requests and approvals, distribute tickets, and understand how their assets are being used.
Concierge Live helps simplify that process through flexible ticket management, streamlined workflows, and customizable reporting.
Teams can manage who has access to tickets, establish approval processes, and gain better visibility into usage. This makes it easier to connect available inventory with business priorities, whether that means hosting a client, rewarding an employee, or engaging a prospective customer.
Rather than letting valuable experiences become another administrative task, organizations can focus on the relationships those experiences are meant to build.
Creating More Ways to Connect
The NHL and Kaufland partnership shows how sponsorships can extend across arenas, retail environments, digital platforms, and local communities.
For businesses investing in sports and entertainment, the opportunity is to make every available asset serve a purpose.
Because a sponsorship's value isn't determined by how many benefits are included in the agreement. It's determined by how effectively those benefits are activated.
Concierge Live helps organizations manage the ticketing side of those experiences, making it easier to turn corporate entertainment into meaningful business connections.
